Raiders’ Mack Faces $814K Fine as Holdout Lingers

By ReutersAugust 11, 2018

Khalil Mack holds up a jersey after being selected as the number five overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft to the Oakland Raiders at Radio City Music Hall on May 8, 2018. (Adam Hunger/USA Today Sports)

Defensive end Khalil Mack will not report to the Oakland Raiders before Friday’s preseason opener against the Detroit Lions, triggering a $814,000 fine, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The fine schedule is dictated by the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

Raiders’ officials consistently said they plans to re-sign Mack to a long-term deal as he enters the final year of his contract, but there have been no indications of progress, and Mack skipped all of the Raiders’ offseason workouts before failing to report to training camp in late July.

Mack, the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year, will make $13.85 million this season in the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, after he earned $18.7 million through his first four seasons.

Pro Football Talk reported last month that some wonder if the Raiders are financially able to give Mack — who is likely seeking to exceed Von Miller’s six-year, $114 million deal that included $70 million guaranteed — the type of contract he wants.

The 27-year-old has 40.5 sacks, three Pro Bowl appearances and two first-team All-Pro nods in his career while starting all 64 games.

That concern relates less to the Raiders’ limited cap space (around $4.5 million, 26th in the NFL) than to the team’s fungible cash. An outdated rule in the collective bargaining agreement requires teams to put all guaranteed money for signed contracts in escrow, a rule that can limit team’s financial flexibility when it comes to blockbuster contracts. The Raiders gave quarterback Derek Carr more than $70 million guaranteed on an extension last June, and they owe the NFL a $378 million relocation fee for their expected move to Las Vegas.

Mack could be waiting for Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, to help define the market with his own contract extension. Whenever Donald signs, his contract is expected to be historic among NFL defenders.